


Paopu Glamorous

by moontear



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-15
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 11:29:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1004897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moontear/pseuds/moontear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sora attends the prestigious school of Paopu High, rubbing elbows with rich kids from all over the city. There's only one problem: Sora got in with his brains and not his family's wallet. All has been going well enough until the day he slams into the king of PH, Riku Damenson, and breaks the older boy's priceless watch. Now Riku demands Sora become his slave to pay it back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Rules, "So if wanna make it here, follow them!"

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts. Unless stated otherwise, a very special thanks to my beta, hesteen. She's great. 
> 
> I wanted this story to follow certain manga tropes. I usually write pieces that are heavy in angst and deal with odd things with the mind, so this is something lighter for me. Also attempting to dabble in humor here, which is also new. I hope everyone enjoys. :)

 

**i. Never Piss Off Riku Damenson. Ever.**

 

"Ahh! It's Riku!"

 

"Riku! Eee! Look this way!"

 

"Oh, my god, Riku! I LOVE YOU!"

 

"That girl just said she loved him… No! SHE DOESN'T LOVE YOU LIKE I DO, RIKU!"

 

Shiozu Sora's eye was twitching. He put a hand over it to try and stop it, but the more the girls around him screamed, the harder it pulsed. It figured. He couldn't even walk around school without walking into Riku Damenson's fan club—not when the King of Paopu High himself was on the premises.

 

Tidus, his best friend since the third grade, chortled. "This shit's always hilarious to me. Oh, Riku," he said in falsetto, giving an exaggerated flutter of his lashes. "Please, I'm spreading my legs for you right now, so whip out your dick and—"

 

"Whoa, _language_!" Selphie Tilmitt, Sora's other best friend, this one from kindergarten, popped up on Sora's left side. She was busy juggling some of her school books around. "Any time you talk about Daemonson-sempai, the conversation always goes R-rated!"

 

"More like triple-X," Sora muttered.

 

"So what?" Tidus huffed defensively. "You know that guy's gotta be a sex god."

 

Sora shot him a look. "A sex god? Really, Tidus?"

 

"Well, look at him…"

 

All three came to a halt in the middle of the hallway as Yuna, Rikku, and Yuffie, Paopu High's top three cheerleaders, materialized in front of them. They had an uncanny knack of showing up whenever Riku was mentioned. And now here they were, decked out in their cheerleader uniforms, the colors of yellow, green and white.

 

Yuffie Kisaragi waved her pompom in Sora's face. "Riku Damenson: age eighteen! Senior at Paopu High School and the son of the business tycoon Sephiroth Damenson!"

 

Rikku grinned and shook both her pompoms from over the black-haired girl's shoulder. "Blood type: AB! Hair color: silver! Eye color: emerald green! Height: five foot eight inches!"

 

And last but never least, Yuna giggled nervously. After a moment, she put one hand on her hip and thrust a finger of the other in Tidus' face. A wicked gleam made her eyes narrow at him as a matching smile spread across her lips. "Sex status: virgin!"

 

"Whoa," Selphie whispered into Sora's ear. "Like they'd actually _know_."

 

Yuna perked up. "I heard that!" She skipped to Selphie. "It's true, you know? Riku told us himself! We had an interview with him just last week!"

 

Tidus sputtered. "Yeah, right. I'm sure he lied!"

 

"And _why_ would our king lie?!" Yuffie took an offensive position, pompoms raised like they were shurikens. It was hard to take seriously, and easy to ignore.

 

Tidus turned to Sora. "Like they don't know? Riku _obviously_ has to lie to prevent the cat fights that would start. Duh. It's such a smart idea…"

 

Sora rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna be late for class." He made his way around the tittering girls as they all crowded around Tidus, ready to bite his head off. Selphie giggled and followed his steps, clutching her messenger bag close to her shoulder, now that all her books were safely inside it.

 

"They _do_ get a little too serious, I guess." Selphie shot him a wistful smile. "Isn't it kind of romantic, though? So many girls in love with him… yet he's a loner…" She sighed, tucking hair behind her ear. The color was a pretty honey brown, and flipped up at the ends. She kept it cut around her chin.

 

"Maybe he's a loner because he's a loser?" Sora retorted more than a little sourly. He couldn't help it. That Damenson jerk got on his nerves. It wasn't that Riku had ever _purposefully_ done anything to him. It was just… hundreds of fangirls, a mountain of wealth, everything he could ever want right at his fingertips, without having to do anything at all… while Sora struggled with two part-time jobs just to help keep his family afloat…

 

Sora's mother worked for Sephiroth Damenson's company. And it wasn't that President Damenson treated everyone horribly, not at all. But she was rarely home, and when she was, she almost always immediately went to bed, exhaustion lining her face. And they _still_ barely made the bills for the month.

 

Cloud, Sora's older brother, was off at university, and all of their mom's spare money went to his tuition and to help keep him afloat. He was studying so much, he barely had time for a job. He wanted to be a doctor. It meant he was rarely home, too.

 

And that was where Sora's two jobs came in. If he wanted any of his own pocket money, he had to work. He took half of his earnings and gave it to his mother to help with the bills. The other half, he kept for himself. He went to a prestigious school, and his mother could barely keep Cloud in college, let alone pay for things like Sora's uniforms.

 

He sighed. Just thinking about it made him tired.

 

As if reading his mind, Selphie nudged him. "Where are you working this afternoon?"

 

"The coffee shop," Sora replied. It was also where he got most of his studying done when it was slow. The shop, Hollow Bastion, wasn't corporate-run, but had a single owner. It made things more lax around the place. Plus, Sora's boss had a sweet spot for him.

 

"Think you can use your discount to get me a yummy iced drink tonight?" Selphie licked her lips.

 

Sora frowned at her. "Selphie."

 

"Uh-huh?"

 

"Your mother owns a publishing company."

 

"Uh-huh…?"

 

"So then why the heck do you need my discount?"

 

"Becaaause, Sora! It's _your_ discount!" Beaming at him, Selphie slipped her arms around Sora's elbow and held on tight.

 

Sora could feel the twitch starting up in his eye again.

 

 _Rich people_.

 

Yes, his two best friends were wealthy. Yes, Sora had attended school with them since they were children. But sometimes, particularly now, their lives never seemed more like night and day. Tidus' father was a famous athlete. Selphie was going to inherit that publishing company. The two had never wanted for anything, either.

 

But Sora was constantly struggling to keep his feet in the school. The only reason he was here was not because of money, like the other attendees. It was because of his grades. The second he slipped below a 4.0 GPA, the headmaster, Ethoran, would give him the boot.

 

Sora pursed his lips.

 

Man, he was in a grouchy mood today.

 

And then it happened.

 

The unthinkable.

 

The moment that would change the rest of his life.

 

"Sora, look out!"

 

Shiozu Sora ran into Riku Damenson.

 

The impact of slamming into the floor caused his teeth to knock together. Sora hissed, his elbow and hip throbbing. They had taken the brunt of his weight. He shook his head, trying to clear the pain away. What had just happened?

 

"Hey," said a cool voice above him.

 

Dead silence filled the corridor, broken only by tremulous whispers of gossipers here and there.

 

Great. An audience.

 

Hobbling, Sora climbed to his feet. When he looked up, it was to meet Riku's frosty green eyes. His sempai knelt after a moment, collecting something off the ground. Then he brought it to Sora's face for the younger boy's inspection.

 

A cracked face of what must have been a priceless watch.

 

 _Shit,_ Sora thought. For the first time, his impassiveness was replaced by a quiver of anxiety. His throat tight, he took a step away from the silver-haired boy.

 

Yuffie, Rikku, and Yuna stood behind him, pompoms raised around their shocked, open mouths. A gaggle of students lingered, their numbers being added to by the minute as people grew curious about the onlookers.

 

"You broke my watch…" Riku arched a thin, silver eyebrow. His long hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail. His uniform, as always, was immaculate. The strap to his bag was broken, and his books had spilled over the floor beside his shiny shoes.

 

"And your _bag_ ," a student smirked from the throng of their classmates. Sora vaguely recognized her as some girl named Arlene.

 

"Hey, hey. Didn't his father give him that watch for his sixteenth birthday, Yunie?" Rikku was whispering furiously behind Riku's back to her friends. She tugged on Yuna's arm impatiently, but Yuna couldn't seem to draw her gaze away from the dangling piece of jewelry Riku held clasped in his fingers.

 

"And my bag," Riku drawled. "So… are you going to pay for it?"

 

Sora's mouth fell open. "Pay… for… it…?" He felt faint just _thinking_ about it! Riku was the son of one of the wealthiest people in the city! Just _imagining_ how much that watch had cost…

 

"Yeah, I thought so." Riku's lips twisted with a smile. It wasn't very friendly. He flipped the watch onto his palm, then pocketed it. With a snap of his fingers, he waited as a student came forward to gather up his books for him. "You're the Shiozu kid, right? One of the few students here because of grades and _not_ money…"

 

Sora pursed his lips, but said nothing.

 

"And your mother works for my father's company."

 

"How did you—?"

 

Riku shrugged. "It doesn't matter. The fact is…" And he lifted his eyes again to Sora's. Sora felt his heart jolt in his chest. Oh, boy. He was in trouble. "…You can't pay for the damage you just caused."

 

"It was just an accident," Sora defended himself. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

 

"Like I care?" Riku laughed, a short, derisive sound. "All _I_ care about is how you're going to pay me back, and since you can't do that… I guess I'll have to tell my father. I'm sure he'll garnish your mother's wages to make up for it."

 

"What?! N-No!" Sora pushed himself off the set of lockers he hadn't even realized he'd backed into. "Don't!" Oh, God. If his mother's wages got garnished… Their bills, Cloud's medical degree… it'd all be for nothing…

 

"Well, I can't see any other solution—oh, _wait_ …" A sly gleam crept into Riku's eyes then. Sora got the sudden feeling Riku had been building up to this moment.

 

Riku came close and gripped Sora's chin, and when Sora tried to pull away, Riku's grip tightened. "There is _one_. It'd save your mother's job, and it'd be the perfect way to pay me back." Riku released Sora and took a step away. "From this day forward, you're now my personal slave."

 

W-… _Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?_

 

**ii. Avoid the Organization At All Costs ( _"What_ are _they, anyway?"_ ) **

Sora gave a long sigh around his iced coffee drink. His literature textbook was spread out before him, and his accompanying binder had never looked more disorganized. He'd been trying to locate his notes on Chaucer, to no avail. It seemed he was going to have to start over. All those hard hours of research, gone.

 

 _If this were a normal school, this class wouldn't be so detailed._ But that was precisely why he'd wanted to attend the Paopu Industry chain of schools to begin with.

 

He glanced around Hollow Bastion, the café he worked at on school afternoons. It was dead except for an old man nodding off in the far corner of the building, the crushed red velvet sofa beneath him sagging from his weight. This was the last place Sora would have expected an elderly person to want to grab their cappuccino, but who was he to judge?

 

Hollow Bastion was known to be a hangout for the wealthier kids in the city, nearer to Paopu High or Paopu University. It was the latest cool place to be seen at. With the gothic architecture—a freaking gargoyle was roosted above the doors—and the dim lighting, along with the mellow, throbbing dungeon music (in truth, it was far from the dungeon-type, but Sora was feeling morbid that afternoon, given his circumstances)… well, it was, needless to say, a draw to those who liked lavish surroundings slightly on the vampire fan side.

 

Cobblestone floor. Rugs made out of fur pelts. Coffee tables with clawed feet. Wicked chandeliers in place of lamps or light fixtures. Torches set in sconces all along the walls. How the owners of this establishment got away with the fire hazard was anyone's guess, although Sora suspected the fire marshal was being paid to be quiet about it.

 

A fire crackled in the grate, above which crystal balls and ancient books sat on display on the mantelpiece. Hot chocolate was served in tankards. Fortunately, in Sora's opinion, the coffee remained normal, with _normal_ containers, even _if_ they did have weird names to go along with the dark ages meets modern Goth.

 

It was as Sora was surveying his surroundings, as they never grew old, that Lea—Axel—Goodwin walked in.

 

By himself.

 

Sora straightened his shoulders. He _knew_ what this was about, and he already had his answer prepared.

 

"No," he said for the fifty-sixth time. He'd taken to counting. _That_ was how often Axel harassed him about this particular subject.

 

The redheaded boy spread his hands. "Aw, but you don't even know what I was going to say!" His gleaming green eyes said otherwise, however.

 

He was Sora's sempai, though were someone to examine their behavior closely, they wouldn't have known it. Axel was flamboyant, with his orange scarf around his throat, the teardrop-shaped tattoos he'd gotten on his cheeks earlier in the semester, and the cross earring dangling from one year, clashing with the bright yellow shirt he had on over simple skinny jeans and Converses.

 

"You're going to ask me to join the Organization." Sora frowned at him. "Right?"

 

"Weeeell…" Axel drawled, sticking his hands in his back pockets. He was almost obscenely tall, towering a little over six feet, and was as gangly as they came. "…Maaaaybe." He leaned forward suddenly, cocking one hand in a trigger position. "So what do you say?"

 

"I just said no…"

 

"Don't you think 'Roxas' has such a great ring to it, though?" Sora's unwanted companion sang with a spread of his long fingers. The other boy was half-shrugging.

 

"If I wanted to add an 'x' to my name and make an anagram, don't you think I would have joined already?"  

 

"Okay, look." The redheaded individual with the spiky hair pulled out a chair and threw himself in it, dangling his arms over the back of it. "I talked to Saix—"

 

"Isa."

 

"—and he's agreed to promote you immediately to our secondhand." Axel thrust a finger skyward. " _That's_ how badly we want you to join!"

 

Sora pulled his binder over to him. He couldn't afford to get behind. Unlike the other students at his school, _he_ didn't have the money to keep him enrolled should his grades drop. "What's the Organization about? Tell me, and I'll consider it." Sora smiled sweetly at him.

 

This earned him a pout. "Sora, you _know_ I can't tell you until you join…"

 

"And I can't join until I know what cult plans on brainwashing me." Sora propped up his pencil. "So thanks, but no thanks."

 

Axel stared at Sora's forehead, like it was going to make him submit or something. But Sora went on about his homework, humming a cheerful tune to himself. Finally, after about five minutes, the older boy gave up and left the café, looking like a dejected puppy. The solid oak door swung shut behind him.

 

Sora let his head thunk down on the desk.

 

He had to deal with getting out of Riku's slavery. He didn't have _time_ to deal with Axel and his goofy Organization right now. Besides, Axel wasn't even the leader, just a recruiter. And Sora hated clubs.

 

**iii. Wasting Riku's Time Results in Dire Consequences ("Gosh, I'm sooo jelly!")**

"Mother of God, what _took_ you so long?"

 

Sora bit back a smart remark. The last thing he wanted to do was infuriate Riku this early in the game—well, that was only partially true. He'd _love_ to do much more than simply make the guy angry, but his mother's job was on the line. So he had to grin and bear it for now.

 

"I had to take the bus to get here, and then I had to walk a few blocks."

 

Riku Damenson sniffed. "A bus?"

 

Sora tilted his head. "…Yeah, you know, those big boxy things on wheels? Seats a lot of people? Carts them around the city when they don't have cars…?" _Like me, a luxury my family can't afford right now._

 

The older boy narrowed his eyes. "I _know_ what a bus is." But Sora got the strangest feeling he hadn't until Sora had put a name to such vehicles. What a pampered life! "Well, you're twenty minutes late. That's unacceptable."

 

With the way Sora kept grinding his teeth, his jaw was going to be aching something fierce by that afternoon if this kept up. "I woke up at 5:30 just to get here, Damenson-sempai."

 

"To get here… _late_." Riku snapped his fingers. A footman came forward, dressed in a trim black suit. He was holding a stack of books. When Riku gestured, the elderly man deposited them in Sora's arms before Sora even knew what was happening.

 

"…What the hell are these?"

 

Riku smirked. "Books. You know, those rectangle shapes full of pages?"

 

Sora had to admit he'd walked into that one, but he wasn't quite ready to deal with humor. Nothing about this situation was funny. "So what do you want me to do with them?"

 

The silver-haired boy reached out and thumped Sora on the forehead. "Carry them." He strode forward, down the stone steps that led up to his manor, and the footman rushed to open the door of the shiny black limo parked on the curb.

 

"Here you are, Young Master." The footman fell into a deep bow.

 

"Don't you have a bag?" Sora stood rooted to the spot. If Riku thought he was going to get _back_ on the bus and lug these books to the school, he was dead wrong!

 

"You broke it yesterday," Riku reminded him.

 

"So go to Louis Vuitton and get another one!" Who did this guy think he was kidding? Sephiroth Damenson's safe could probably hold three of these manors.

 

"No," Sora's sempai drawled. "I don't feel like it." He gestured for his lower classman to come forward.

 

 _Grind, grind, grind_. Sora dared not open his mouth as he obeyed. The two stood before the open limo door, eyeing one another in the sunlight, Riku faintly amused, Sora ready to lob all of the books he carried at that pretty face.

 

"Well?"

 

"Well, what?" Sora's frown deepened.

 

Riku shoved a foot in Sora's side and _pushed_. "Get _in_."

 

"Gwah!" Sora went flying onto leather seats, the books spilling onto the floor of the cabin. Riku climbed in after him, stepping delicately over him to reach the other side. The door thunked closed behind him.

 

"From this morning forward, I'll have a driver come pick you up." Riku slipped a slim phone from his pocket.

 

"That won't be necessary…" Wincing from his bruised ribs—did Riku really have to _kick_ him?—Sora gathered up the books and settled himself into a seat.

 

"It's non-negotiable." Riku said the word like he'd been dying to try it out, savoring each syllable. "I can't have my slave being late. For this to work, you have to be on time. You have to be there for my every need." Riku paused thoughtfully. "Father is overseas at the moment, and we have a lot of empty rooms… Yeah." His smile grew. "That'll work."

 

Sora eyed him suspiciously as he finished buckling himself in. "What will work?"

 

"Also as of this morning forward, you'll be staying at our manor. That way, you'll be there to wait on me hand and foot."

 

Sora groaned. When would he wake up from this nightmare?

 

**iv. Don't Keep Your Enemies Closer Than Your Friends. No. Really. Don't.**

_Some peace and quiet,_ Sora thought to himself as he trudged into the cafeteria. _That's all I want_.

 

A five star buffet was spread out, as usual, along the far wall, with caterers and servers behind it to man out portions. The silver dishes that held the food were so polished, one could see their reflection in them. Steam rose off chunks of grilled potatoes and strips of asparagus, gelatin desserts wiggled by themselves in their colorful tiers.

 

Even after all this time, he felt like he was caught up in some teen drama. What had happened to regular trays of food, and students milling about to separate lines of different cuisines, such as pizza, or the grilled chicken being served that day, or some sort of vegetable soup with a peanut butter and honey sandwich? And, his all time favorite, little cups of ice cream with a pull tab. They _had_ ice cream at PH, but it was given out with golden spoons, and had its own array of candies and fruits to top it off with, like a personal creamery the school was in possession of.

 

It was just too much.

 

Sora plopped down at one of the wooden buffet tables. This tabletop had a starched yellow linen on top of it, and a tiny stain in the center where it looked like someone's potato had popped off their plate. With a long sigh, he reached into his messenger bag, withdrawing his book and his brown bagged paper lunch. Unlike the rest of these kids, he couldn't afford over sixty dollars a day on a solitary meal.

 

He started to read whilst waiting for his friends to join him. Selphie would more than likely not arrive until the end of the lunch period, as she liked to stay after class and flirt with her physics professor. And Tidus had a habit lately of finding Yuna, wherever she was, and begging her to go on a date with him. So far, she was declining, but it was only a matter of time before she caved. Tidus just had that charm about him.

 

So when he heard someone seat themselves across from him near the end of the lunch hour, he lowered his book and sandwich, expecting his petite female friend, he was surprised to find the opposite. Yuna, Rikku, and Yuffie had joined him for lunch, each of them holding saucers wide enough to feed three starving Ethiopian families. And more than _half_ of it would go to waste, as they were like delicate birds, only pecking occasionally at their meals.

 

Sora pursed his lips, saying nothing.

 

Yuna broke the silence first. She was seated between Rikku and Yuffie, and her green eye and blue eye twinkled pleasantly at him. "Helloooo, Sora."

 

"Hello!" Rikku echoed exuberantly, her hands circling at him in excitement like a dog paddling water.

 

Yuffie merely eyed him sullenly, sticking a bite of medium rare steak into her mouth.

 

"Hi…" Sora was hesitant, and he felt he had every right to be. The captain of the cheerleaders and her lead posse members never went anywhere outside of Riku's shadow. Well, or Paine's, but Yuna and Rikku's warm body for common sense was notably missing. Paine refused to cheerlead, and was a social recluse. How Rikku and Yuna had come to pull her into their group, Sora could only guess at.

 

Paine wouldn't have been at the _bottom_ of the popularity ladder if not for those two. It was just, she had a bit of a dangerous disposition. She could knock someone flat if they so much as tried to bully her.

 

"So we noticed you're friends with Damenson-sempai now!" Rikku hopped up and down in her seat, giggling.

 

"Yeah!" Yuna's smile widened. "That's so great, Sora! We're so happy for you!"

 

"Friends?" Had they lost their _minds_? They were right there when Riku had proclaimed that Sora would be his slave henceforth!

 

"Uh, _yeah_ ," Rikku retorted. "What else would you be? No one _else_ has the honor of following Damenson-sempai around with his books!"

 

They called that an honor?! Sora's arms were still aching! He'd spent the first half of the day trailing Riku like a puppy, and it was _humiliating_ , what with all the points and whispering going on between students. The only reason he was let off the hook _now_ was because they didn't share a lunch period.

 

"Wanna trade?" Sora muttered.

 

It was supposed to be rife with sarcasm, but Rikku, apparently, didn't catch it. She only leaned forward over the table, clapping her hands together. "Ooooh, really? That would be so _great_!"

"Rikku." It was the first word Yuffie had spoken since her arrival. She glared daggers at the only blonde at the table. "Don't be that girl."

 

Rikku pouted. "What girl? Huh, huh? Tell me!"

 

Yuffie released a long sigh at that and waved a pom pom. Whoa, Sora thought. Where had that thing come from? "The girl who steals another girl's boy!"

 

"What?" Rikku huffed. "Since when is he _yours_?"

 

"Ladies," Yuna coaxed as Yuffie immediately turned laser-like eyes on Rikku and brandished her pom poms like those ridiculous weapons again. Rikku was batting at Yuna's arm lightly, trying to get to Yuffie, but when she couldn't, she settled for sticking her tongue out at the black-haired cheerleader.

 

Sora put away his book. He had a feeling he wasn't getting anymore reading done, and escape was futile. The girls would just follow him. They'd come here for a reason, and they wouldn't stop pestering him until it was achieved, whatever it was.

 

"Awh, Sora, don't look so glum." Yuna frowned at him. She clasped her hands together, tilting her head to the side. "Why aren't you happy?"

 

"Yeah, Shiozu-kun!" Yuffie waved her pom pom menacingly at him, as Rikku perked up with a, "Yeah, yeah!"

 

"Who wants to be somebody's _slave_?" Sora wasn't sure how many more ways he could spell this out for them.

 

"Don't you get it, though?" Rikku wagged a finger at him, her other hand on her hip. "Damenson-sempai doesn't associate with _anyone_! Sure, he lets _us_ follow him around, but that's because we don't give him any choice!"

 

"But _you_ …" Yuffie leaned across the table as Rikku had done minutes earlier. Her big, brown eyes narrowed speculatively. "What's so special about _you_ , bozo? We're trying to figure it out, and we ain't coming up with anything!"

 

Sora stared at them in mute disbelief.

 

"Well, whatever the reason, we've decided we're going to follow you around, too!" Yuffie proclaimed.

 

Sora choked on the sip of water he'd just taken. Rikku scrambled around the booth to pat him on his back, while Sora thumped on his chest, his eyes streaming as he coughed, his windpipe protesting fiercely at the intrusion.

 

"We just want to know more about Riku!" Yuna explained as Yuffie went back to attacking her steak with gusto. Sora wasn't so sure anyone should have armed Kisaragi-san with a steak knife. The girl thought of herself as a ninja, quite literally, and she was pretty much both a klepto and a spazz. She didn't _need_ to have real weapons.

 

Sora looked about at the three of them. Rikku was rubbing his back with a warm smile as his coughs eased, and Yuna's own smile shone as brightly as a star. Yuffie paused when she felt his eyes on her, her lips wrapped about the tines of her fork. She raised an eyebrow in question, then shrugged when Sora said nothing and resumed eating.

 

He sighed again. _Do I really have a choice?_

 

Rikku must have read his expression as one of defeat. She squealed and punched him several times on the arm. "Yeah! We did it, huh, Yunie?!" The two girls high-fived over the table.

 

"Yeah, we did!"

 

"All right!" Rikku cheered.

 

 _Fuck my life_ , Sora thought, slumping in his seat.

 

v. **Raid Tidus' Porn Stash Whenever Possible. He Carries the Best Stuff. **

"Holy shit!" Tidus yelped as Sora tossed items he would need into a few boxes. He'd gathered them from behind the little grocery store he helped out at on Tuesday afternoons. "Holy shiiiit! Holy shit!"

 

"Dude." Sora tossed a pillow at him that had been thrown to the floor that morning. Sora had been aiming for the alarm clock and missed by three feet. "You're not a broken record. Knock it off."

 

"I don't know which is more awesome! Getting to live like a king at the _Damensons'_ place, or being within constant groping distance of Yuna!" He mimed grabbing the brunet's admittedly round ass and kneading it. "God… If I could touch it just once, I would die a happy man…"

 

"When did you turn into such a pervert?"

 

"Since when is a man appreciating a woman's body perverted?"

 

Sora opened his mouth, started to say something, and promptly thought better of it. "You know what? Nooooot worth it." He chucked some clothes into one of the boxes he had already set up with duct tape he'd unearthed from beneath the kitchen sink. For unknown reasons, they didn't seem to have any packing tape.

 

"What isn't?" If Tidus had been a puppy, his ears would have been sticking up, and his tail wagging freely behind him.

 

"You." Sora opened his nightstand drawer and dumped its entire contents into the box, on top of his clothes.

 

" _Me_?" Sora's blond companion pointed to his chest with his thumb. " _Por que_?"

 

"You know why." Putting his hands on his hips to survey the damage of what was left, Sora pivoted. His closet—what could he take from that? He didn't want to pack _too_ much… Because if he could, he wasn't staying at Riku's house for very long. He still wasn't even sure how he was going to convince his mom to let him, but one obstacle at a time.

 

"Cryptic isn't really your style, Sora."

 

Sora grinned at his pouting friend. "I have a style?"

 

"Yeah." Now Tidus outright sulked at him. "It's called Grade A Douche."

 

Such outlandish insults resulted in the usual tussle. Sora leapt at Tidus with a mock-offended cry, tackling him on the bed. The two fell to the floor as they grappled for the upper hand. Tidus' shoulder slammed into Sora's box of clothes and riffraff, denting the cardboard in on one side. This went unnoticed, as Sora's attention was completely focused on trying to get an arm around Tidus' neck.

 

Tidus was the taller of the two, and more built, but Sora was like a monkey. He got his legs around Tidus' waist and clung, his arms around his neck, and nothing Tidus did could dislodge him. By that time, Tidus was back on his feet, yelling and scrabbling to get Sora off his back. Sora chose this moment to clap his hands over Tidus' eyes. It sent the blond boy stumbling forward, careening them into Sora's dresser. Tidus yelled in pain, losing his footing even more.  Instead of going down, Sora scrambled around Tidus' larger frame, put his hands on Tidus' shoulders, and _pushed_. Down toppled Tidus like a stack of dominoes, and Sora relished in the delight of pure victory.  

 

Before Tidus could get any bright ideas about climbing back to his feet, Sora got an arm around his neck, securely this time, the other wound tight over Tidus' forehead.

 

"God damn it!" Tidus cursed.

 

"What's the magic word?" Sora was panting from the effort of keeping Tidus restrained, but at least he was winning.

 

"Suck my cock."

 

"Nah-uuuh," Sora sang breathlessly.

 

"My father will hear of this?" Tidus tried. He threw his weight to the left.

 

Sora moved with him, still holding on. "Your father would kick your ass for letting me hand you yours."

 

"Damn it," Tidus whined again. "Fine, jerk off. Mercy, mercy!"

 

Sora released him. Sweat beaded his brow. He felt alive with energy. He nudged Tidus with his toe. "That's three to one, now."

 

"Yeah, yeah," Tidus muttered sourly. "You don't even play sports. How the heck does a punk like you keep whooping my ass?"

 

Sora was desperately thirsty. He was going to have to go downstairs for some water. "Because sometimes it's not about the brawn. It's about the brains."

 

And brains would be the only thing to get him out of Riku Damenson's enslavement.

 

**vi. When All Else Fails… Well, Now You're Just Up Shit Creek**

_I'm not ready for this,_ Sora thought as he watched Riku's limo pull up to the curb of the sidewalk in front of his house. _It was just a stupid watch._

 

A priceless watch.

 

_Whatever. How much money does his family have? It's not like he'll miss it._

 

But that apparently wasn't up for him to decide.

 

Sora sighed and gave his bedroom a last look-over. He'd left up all the posters of his favorite punk-rock bands. His computer desk was still in the corner of the room, but Sora had taken a few books from it… though he somehow doubted he'd have time to read…

 

 _Mom's going to lose it,_ he mused, making his way downstairs. He had two boxes in his arms. He only wanted to take enough clothes to change for a few days, and shit to do to keep him entertained. That was it.

 

In the meantime, he left his mother a note on the counter stating that he'd be staying a few nights with a 'friend.' It wasn't like it really mattered. She was never home, between her job at Sephiroth Damenson's company and the part-time job she held most evenings. Sora was used to fending for himself. And honestly, he had plenty on his plate, too, what with his school load and his own jobs.

 

That was part of what made this entire thing with Damenson-sempai so _irritating_. He didn't have _time_ to be some sort of rich kid's play thing.

 

He locked up the house and gave it a last longing look. It was a quaint building, two stories but small. There was just enough of a yard for some swatches of grass to grow before it met with the sidewalk. Bushes framed the front steps leading up to the porch. Ivy climbed up the trellis and around where Sora's bedroom window was.

 

But if one looked closely, the paint was flecking all along the house, and it badly needed a power wash. The plant beds in the back yard hadn't been touched in close to two years, the porch's roof was sagging slightly.

 

The smooth noise of a car window rolling down sounded behind him.

 

"Are you going to stand there and gape at this shithole forever, or are you going to climb in?"

 

_Shithole?_

 

Sora was three seconds away from trussing Riku up like he had Tidus a few hours earlier, except with a lot more bruises and two black eyes. The thought of his mother was the only thing that stayed his fist. So, with a deep breath, he turned around, opened the door to the limo, and reacquainted himself with the smell of leather and Riku's musky cologne.

 

His upper classman raised a silver eyebrow. "That's it?"

 

Sora stared at him blankly.

 

Riku gestured to the boxes Sora had set on the floor between them.

 

"You didn't exactly bring a moving truck," Sora said, with maybe a little heat.

 

Riku nudged the cardboard boxes aside with his toe. One of them was still badly dented from Tidus landing on it, and the duct tape was peeling a bit. Fury boiled in Sora's chest, and his fist clenched.

 

"Come here, Shiozu."

 

"Come _where_?" Sora snapped.

 

The older boy gestured to his lap.

 

Sora felt his jaw dropping. "Excuse me?"

 

When he didn't move fast enough, Riku reached over, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him forward. Sora stumbled and found himself sprawled rather ungracefully across Riku's lap. While he was still regaining his bearings, Riku gripped his hair at the base of his skull and pulled. Sora's head was wrenched back, fire shooting up along his scalp.

 

"Ow, asshole!"

 

Riku released him. "Now kiss me."

 

"WHAT?!"

 

"I said kiss me."

 

Honestly, Sora hadn't seen it coming, that Riku was a homo. Sure, his hair was always shiny and perfectly groomed, and his clothes were perfectly fitted. But that didn't _mean_ anything. Taking care of yourself was hot to girls. Right? Right.

 

" _Why_?" Sora blurted. Then almost smacked himself. _That_ was the question that had popped out when Riku had demanded that Sora kiss him? 'Why'?

 

"Because I'm curious." Riku put his hands around Sora's waist. "I want to know what it's like when two guys kiss."

 

 _Is he out of his fucking mind?!_ "So kiss a Ken doll!" Sora sputtered.

 

"I don't want to kiss a Ken doll." The first threads of anger entered Riku's eyes. "I want to kiss _you_. So pucker up and do it, or your mom gets fired."

 

 


	2. Boom, Bitch

**i. Rich Enough to Have Bodyguards ( _"And so fine, at that!"_ )**

_Grind, grind, grind._

At this rate, Sora's teeth were never going to forgive him.

 

"Knock it off!" Sora wrenched himself free of Riku's lap and slid across the limo.

 

His upperclassman's eyes flashed a warning. "Do you think I'm joking around about your mom, Shiozu?"

 

"Nope." Sora straightened his clothes. He was getting sick of this treatment. He'd been planning on saving this argument for a few days, at the most, to spare his mother any trouble she didn't need right now, but enough was enough. "Let's be real, Riku. Could your dad _really_ fire my mom over something like this?"

 

"Of course he can. He's the most powerful man in the city." The older boy folded his arms. "And the richest."

 

"Yeah. I know that. But he doesn't seem like the kind of businessman that would deal with the trouble of firing an employee over a watch that was easily replaced," Sora shot back. "On top of _that_ , even if he _did_ , and my mom sued, regardless of whether or not she won—" And who really knew, because Sephiroth Damenson _was_ extremely powerful? "—he would have wasted all that time and money over his son throwing a temper tantrum!"

 

Riku shook his hair back. "Your point?"

 

Sora gaped at him. "Well, then, what the hell, Riku?! That's been your whole basis here, hasn't it?!"

 

"Fine. Obviously you're too smart to be bullied by methods like that one." Riku leaned back in his seat and sprawled his arms over the back of it. His expression was now one of lazy smugness. "So keep being my slave, or I'll have everyone in the school mark you for torture."

 

 _Grind, grind, grind_. Sora clenched his shaking fingers into fists again. "I won't be bullied, Riku."

 

"Then why are you here right now?"

 

"Because!" Sora bit back the rest of his words. His mother had enough on her plate. She didn't need this asshole's crazy shenanigans on top of it. Suffering through Riku's spoiled rotten-ness was the least he could do for her, after everything she did for their family.

 

"Because _what_?" Riku frowned.

 

"It's none of your business!" Sora threw up his hands. "Look. Just let me out right here. I'm tired of this already."

 

"Oh, you'll be _really_ tired of it once I have every guy in the school aiming to beat the shit out of you." Riku leaned forward, his green eyes turned menacing.

 

"You can't do that," Sora replied calmly. "You—"

 

"Oh?" the other boy cut him off. "And why _not_? You forget, Shiozu—I _own_ this school. I am their king. They'll do whatever I say. And if I say for them to attack a dog who won't heel…" With a dramatic flourish, he drew his finger across his throat.

 

Sora's heart started to beat a little faster. Riku could make his life hell. He knew that. He just hadn't thought he would take it quite this far. "Stop threatening me."

 

"Or what?" Riku all but hissed.

 

The car door opened, and Sora jerked, fists flying up in a knee-jerk reaction to protect himself. He hadn't even realized they weren't moving.

 

A second later, a handsome face popped into the car. It was sullen, with gray eyes that rivaled those that appeared on the horizon just before a storm, downturned full lips, and a scar slashed diagonally across the bridge of a perfect nose. Shaggy brown hair framed it, brushing against the jaws.

 

Those eyes flicked from Sora dismissively, then narrowed once they landed on Riku. "There you are."

 

Riku sniffed. "Damn. I thought I lost you."

 

The young man pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezed shut in what was unmistakably irritation. "It's my job to protect you, Riku. This would go a lot easier if you'd just _let_ me."

 

"I don't _need_ your protection," Riku snapped. "Father's overreacting, as usual. Why the hell do I need a bodyguard? I'm going to _school_. No one's attacked our family in at least four years."

 

The skin beneath the newcomer's eye twitched. Sora recognized that all too well. It was what his did whenever he was dealing with Riku.

 

"That's not for you to decide." The man sounded like he'd barely bitten back a scowl. "Your dad hired me. I'm just following orders, kid. You need to stop trying to bail on me."

 

"Let me handle this, Leonhart," said a new voice, and a gloved hand dropped onto Leonhart's shoulder.

 

A pause, and then a new head stuck itself into the door beside Squall's. Another guy, maybe a little older, with blond hair slicked back and acid green eyes. Sora couldn't see much of him past the broad shoulders taking up most of the doorframe and causing Leonhart to have to back out of the vehicle with an annoyed sound.

 

The blond lifted a hand, twisting it at the wrist. "Hello, _punk_ ," he drawled.

 

Riku stiffened. "Don't address me as 'punk,' _hired help_ —"

 

"Oh, I'm wounded." The man put a hand to his heart. Then his lips curled back from his teeth. "Just like you're gonna be if you don't start following Daddy's orders. He pays us—not you. And he told us not to be afraid to knock some sense into you if he has to."

 

Riku drew back, clearly affronted. "Father would _never_ —"

 

"And he's not here to say otherwise, now is he?" The man reached into the car, grabbing Riku by his tie and jerking him forward. "I've got two rules for you, _Prince_ Punk. First…" The man lifted his free hand and ticked off a finger. "Tell me where the fuck you're going, at all times."

 

"Let me go right now or—"

 

"Second," the blond spoke over him, "if you make me chase you all over this city again, I'm going to kick your punk little ass." He released Riku and leaned back out of the car, then gestured to the other man standing on the curb. "He's all yours, Cupcake."

 

"…Whatever."

 

Brunet Bodyguard climbed into the limo and shut the door behind him. Sora got a flash of a pistol tucked up underneath his bomber jacket. It made Sora's pulse skitter uncomfortably, but he jerked his eyes away before 'Cupcake' noticed him staring.

 

Riku crossed his arms, irritation written all over his face. "God damn it, Squall. Can't I go one morning without you up my ass?"

 

Squall put his hands in his lap and looked out the window. "It's my duty as a SeeD to protect you at all—"

 

"Oh, shut up," Riku mumbled. Then, picking up his voice, "Driver? Move it." His eyes met Sora's across the limo, and they were saying that they weren't finished with this yet. It _would_ be continued later.

 

**ii. Cribs, Featuring Riku Damenson**

Riku's manor came into view nearly half an hour later. It towered over everything else, blocking out the sun from the Sora's angle. They had to weave through the maze of manicured lawns first, and then pulled up the pristine white driveway, which looked like it hadn't ever seen an oil stain.

 

Fountains gushed freely. The sun would have been soothing, had Sora not come to think of this place like his jail/virtual hell. Several other limos were parked nearby, off to the side, ready for use whenever the masters of the house demanded it. Evergreen trees swayed in the breeze, but there were no flowers in sight. Sora found this curious. Most well-to-do places had gardens. So why was this one lacking them?

Squall hopped out of the limo first when it finally rolled to a stop. He scanned the area from the doorway, eyes slightly narrowed from what light had made it beyond the manor. It was a lot brighter outside than inside the vehicle, with its tinted windows.  

"Oh, for crying out loud," Riku snapped. He shoved Squall bodily out of the way so he could exit the limo. "There aren't any snipers perched nearby, ready to take me out."

The man bristled. "We don't know that for sure—"

"Oh, let him get shot, Leonhart." The blond man from earlier strolled up the driveway, the gray trench coat he was wearing snapping behind him. It was fall, sure, but still a little too warm out for such a heavy garment. Obviously, however, the man didn't seem to mind the heat. He hadn't even broken out in a sweat. "Might teach the punk a lesson."  

"What, respecting my elders?" Riku arched a brow. "Yeah, right. Fuck you, Almasy."  

"Sweet," Trench Coat retorted. He tapped the roof of the limo, and a moment later, the chauffeur got out. "But not entirely unexpected…" He jerked his head at his brunet companion. "Want to check out the manor, so we can all get inside and continue this lovely conversation there?"

"I don't take orders from you," Cupcake said flatly.

But he turned and saw himself into the manor.

Sora took this opportunity to also exit the limousine. "Gosh, Damenson-sempai, you look pretty busy, so maybe I'll just head on home and come back later—"

His upperclassman grabbed him by the bicep and dragged him forward. Sora yelped, stumbling over his feet as he was made to follow the silver-haired boy. Almasy's eyebrows rose in amusement.

"Got yourself a boyfriend, 'Young Master'?"

"Fuck you," Riku said again.

"I'm not his boyfriend!" Sora felt the need to clarify. He didn't want the blond bodyguard to get any ideas.

"Then why are you letting him drag you around like that?" The words were said with challenge. Before Sora could answer, Riku had him inside and away from the ridicule of the tall blond.

Sora swallowed, considering those words. Because Riku had threatened to send the entire school after him to beat the shit out of him? It'd make any guy think twice about pissing Riku off. Besides, Almasy didn't understand the situation. Sora didn't need to concern himself with his opinion, then.

But still… the words sat sour in his chest. Maybe Riku was just bluffing…

"Come on," Riku said. "I'll show you to your room."

**iii. Blessed by Royalty—Or What Counts For It**

 

Sora's "room" could have fit three of his old ones in it—mostly because it _was_ three rooms, a la something out of a castle. There was a mini living room, where a TV, a stereo system, and every gaming system conceivable were already set up. There was a plush leather couch, a coffee table, a fridge big enough to fit a twelve pack of sodas in… A carpet was set stylishly beneath the table, gunmetal gray, with matching curtains over a floor to ceiling window.

 

His feet led themselves into the next room, which loosely fit the term "bathroom." An old fashioned (in looks only) tub with huge, metal claws and big enough to support five people was set up against the far wall. A shower cubicle was nearby. There were two sinks at the counter, with open shelves beneath them, mounds of fluffy towels ready to be grabbed.

 

From there, a few more steps took him into his bedroom. A king-sized bed awaited him, with gargantuan pillows strewn all over it. The bedding was black and white, like something out of a modern housing magazine, and the entire ensemble was set in a four-poster. There was a desk near the bay window, a bronze-themed globe on top of it, along with any type of stationary he could ever possibly dream of needing. On the opposite wall were bookshelves, filled with the classics, things on Sora's considerable reading list for the year, and nearby was a magazine rack with everything from tabloids to Forbes.

 

"You're going to catch flies with that open mouth," Riku said from the desk. He spun the globe around, an eyebrow raised.

 

Sora shut his mouth. "What the hell, Damenson-sempai? Do you just have rooms like this set up for use in case you get a guest?" All of them? They were in a wing all the way across the manor from the front door.

 

"No." Riku wouldn't quite look at him.

 

"So is this just a well-furnished guest bedroom?"

 

"No." The other boy abruptly walked from the room. Sora stared after him a moment, then followed, not knowing what else to do with himself. When Sora was in step with him, Riku stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I don't have friends stay over that often. Aqua said you'd like these digs if I had them set up for you…" A pause, then Riku shot Sora a glare, rounding on him. "And you _do_. Right?"

 

Sora was still trying to process the "friend" bit of that sentence, never mind the rest of it. Riku's face was darkening by the second, so he said the first thing that came to mind. And, unfortunately, it was polite. "No, it's—great."

 

His silver-haired companion relaxed. "Hmph. I knew you would. Who _wouldn't_?"

 

Sora wanted to say, "Not me," just to spite him, but the damage had already been done.

 

"They'll bring your… stuff in later," Riku said, his lips curling back at the obvious thought of Sora's meager belongings. "We're having dinner in an hour. The cook will be really pissed if you're late, so _don't_ be." With one last pointed glare, Riku excused himself.

 

Riku cared about what the cook thought? Sora found himself thinking.

 

Curiouser and curiouser.

 

**iv. Remember, Sora: Get Sucked In, and There Goes Your Soul.**

A full complement of clothes, courtesy of his prison guard. Sora stood in front of his mammoth-sized closet, frowning. Pressed uniforms to last at least three weeks, and that alone made his heart get ready to fail on him. One uniform was worth a hundred bucks. Sora had two—and he washed them so regularly, they were growing a little frayed at the edges.

 

What was worse than the uniforms were the clothes that cost even more. Shirts from top brand designers hung with their tags still on them. When Sora saw them, he made a noise in his throat and ran for the nearest window to launch his head out and get some fresh air. He was greeted by the sight of the backyard, where a brick-walled garden rose into the early evening sky, the many trees within blocking most of the view. Somehow, Sora doubted there were actual _flowers_ in there, and that the garden was just that—in name only.

 

Bracing himself, Sora made himself go back to the closet. He had to see all the damage done. As casually as he could make himself, he tallied the costs for the clothes in his head as he rummaged through them. While they were awesome—of course they were, these Armani and Burberry graphic T's that cost a fortune—Sora just couldn't justify the cost. The thought of even _wearing_ such things made him feel a little green around the gills. Yet he had a feeling Riku would insist upon it, with this companionship he'd forced on Sora.

 

 _Oi_ , Sora thought. Well, it could be worse. As a cruel joke, Riku could have actually put rags and chains in his closet.

 

But if he didn't dress himself 'properly' for dinner, Riku would give him hell. He could just hear it now. _"Really, Sora? I have the good grace to invite you to_ dinner _, and_ that's _the shit you show up in?"_ Frowning, Sora eyed his simple red shirt and khaki cargos. He thought his clothes looked just fine.

 

Still, he rifled through the clothes, finding his fingers touching the garments almost… delicately. They were very expensive, and, even though he didn't want to admit it to himself, he was a bit in awe by them.

 

He pulled a simple blue button-down from a hanger. Simple, yet it screamed money. This was further confirmed when Sora shrugged the slip of cloth on. It fit him perfectly through his shoulders, clung to his chest to accentuate what little muscle he _did_ have, and with one button undone and the collar popped, he looked like a million dollars. He'd had no idea that expensive clothes could mold to your body so well. Maybe it wasn't just the brand name that people paid for. Hm.

 

In his bathroom, he found a collection of hair gels. In fact, it looked like a manly salon in there. All sorts of shampoos and conditions and musky body washes, facial cleansers, a trendy razor for his face, aftershave gels… Impressed, he started sniffing the contents of each jar, and when he found a scent that suited him, he used it on his hair, taming his spikes into something more sophisticated to match the shirt he'd donned, along with a crisp, dark pair of premium denim. He was trying _very_ hard not to think about the price tag. This pair was the least expensive one, and it was True Religion. When he'd seen the three and the two zeroes behind it, he'd choked on his spit.

 

If Cloud could see him right now, he'd be shaking with that quiet laughter of his.

 

Well, whatever. What else was he supposed to do?

 

Sticking out his tongue at his reflection, Sora slipped on his favorite sweatband on his wrist and set out to find some path to the dining room.

 

**v. Is Riku Really Lonely, or Are You Being Manipulated, Sora?**

****

He wandered the manor for a good portion of time before a slight, blue-haired woman stepped out from a corner and started in surprise at seeing him. Sora gave her a sheepish grin and tried not to fidget in his new clothes. He felt about as out of place as a needle pinned through a bolt of silk.

 

"I'm lost," he said.

 

The woman's brow rose. "I can see that." With a secretive smile, she put her arm around his shoulders and guided him in the opposite direction he'd been going. She was wearing clothing that suggested she had just come off set from some dark-themed movie about vampires or crime noir. A black turtleneck, black leather pants, black ankle boots. The only spot of color to her was her hair, cut to her chin, and her eyes, so bright and alert.

 

"Let me guess: bodyguard." She had the look of someone who could lay you flat in two seconds, all toned limbs in that slender figure of hers.

 

"Close," she replied, her smile never fading. "You must be Shiozu Sora. I'm Aqua Winterbourne. I'm Riku's chief attendant."

 

 _And if someone ever needs to get their ass kicked…_ "So why does he need Almasy and Cupcake?" Sora ventured curiously.

 

Aqua laughed. "Cupcake. You must have heard Seifer call Squall that." After a moment, she managed to compose herself. "Mr. Almasy and Mr. Leonhart are Riku's personal bodyguards, handpicked by Mr. Damenson himself. My place is here, in the manor, overseeing the house duties and Riku's welfare, especially while Mr. Damenson is away."

 

"What about his mother?" Sora winced after he asked it. What a thoughtless question.

 

The blue-haired woman pursed her lips in thought, as if debating what to say. She was saved when they came into a dining room, in which Riku sat at the head of the table, glowering at Sora. "Ah. Here we are." With a last pat to Sora's shoulder, Aqua stepped away to 'attend' to Riku.

 

"You're _late_." Riku put considerable stress on the word.

 

"I was _lost_ ," Sora countered with his own glare.

 

Electricity could have crackled between them, the atmosphere grew so tense.

 

Aqua lightly cleared her throat and gave a light clap of her hands. Seconds later, and maids began to file into the room, each carrying a covered dish, each a polished silver so shiny that Sora could see his reflection in one as it passed him.

 

"Dinner is served," Aqua announced. Then she bent down to pinch Riku's cheek with a wry grin. "And here, _Master_ Riku, is your favorite side dish, collard greens."

 

Riku pushed her hand away with a sullen glare. "I _hate_ those."

 

"I know," she said, straightening. "But your father left _me_ in charge of the menu, and I do believe I said you would regret it if you crossed me last week when I told you not to go spying on Shio—"

 

"OKAY!" Riku said so loudly the maids all jumped. Until now, they'd been waiting on standby until they were dismissed, heads bowed, not a ruffle in their uniform out of place. "I get it! You're in charge of the menu!"

 

Sora had never seen Riku look quite so panicked.

 

With a sunny smile, Aqua patted his head like a puppy who had finally gotten it right after being scolded one too many times. Sora half-expected her to let out a, "Good _boy_ ," but she only said, "I'll be in the other room if you need me. Enjoy your meal." With a bow and another clap of her hands, she and the maids excused themselves.

 

Sora waited to speak until they were gone. "I hate collard greens, too."

 

Riku shot him a look, as if making sure Sora wasn't having a laugh at him. When Sora only blinked at him, Riku relaxed back into his chair—or was it his throne, with the way he owned it with his body?—as smug as he had been before Aqua's arrival. "Oh, yeah? I didn't think any sort of food was beneath someone who could barely _afford_ it."

 

 _Grind, grind, grind_. Sora clenched his hand around his spoon and resisted the urge to start flicking the greens across the table at that asshole. "Remind me why I'm here again?"

"Because I own you after you ruined my shit," Riku replied casually. He set about to eating his meal, oblivious to the serious hate vibes Sora was sending his way.

 

 _What an arrogant piece of—_ "Whatever, Riku." Sora felt that it was wiser at that moment to keep his mouth shut. It called to mind Almasy's taunt that he was Riku's boyfriend, nothing better than a pet dog, but he just wasn't in the mood for a fight. It had been a long enough day already.

 

It was with that thought that he tucked into his own meal, determined to walk the high road.

 

**vi. Always a Challenge, Always a Problem**

Shiozu Sora had made it through the night at Riku Damenson's place of residence. He would have made a fist pump and a victory jig, except for the fact that he hadn't really slept a wink. Bruises were under his eyes as he stuffed his messenger bag full of the books he'd need for today's classes, and there was a strange kink in his back from sleeping on so familiar a bed. It was almost _too_ soft for his liking.

 

His stomach twisted at the thought of finding Riku and asking for how he was going to get to school. He presumed that they'd be taking the limo, but you could never be too sure, with the way Riku's whims went from one extreme to the other. So he found his way, miraculously, downstairs to the foyer, and was greeted by the sight of Almasy, Leonhart, and Riku, all conveniently grouped in one space.

 

Riku looked impeccably groomed, as usual. Today his hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and his bangs fell artfully into his eyes. One hand was tucked into the pocket of his uniform slacks, a book cradled by that arm. The other hand was busy furiously texting on his phone, his brows drawn together in disgruntlement. Sora found himself privately cheering on whoever had managed to piss Riku off this early in the morning.

 

"Everybody assembled?" Seifer Almasy cracked the knuckles of his black-gloved hands. "Great. Troops: forward march."

 

"I don't take orders from you, asshole," Riku said without glancing up from his phone. "And we're not taking the limo today."

 

"Oh?" Seifer's smile was almost feline in its maliciousness. "Do tell us your grand plans, Your Royal Shithead."

 

Riku shook his bangs out of his eyes and pocketed his phone. "Leonhart, the keys?"

 

Expression one of great distaste, Cupcake handed over two sets of keys that jingled as they fell from his palm into Riku's now outstretched one. Riku tossed a pair to Sora, who barely caught it, fumbling in surprise.

 

"We're gonna race," Riku informed him with an anticipatory gleam to his eyes.

 

"Race?" Sora parroted.

 

The other boy rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Race. You know, that thing with sports cars and—"

 

"I know what racing is," Sora snapped impatiently. "But I don't have a license. And aren't you worried about speeding tick—"

 

"Leonhart will drive you, then." Riku handed back one set of keys. "Almasy, I guess you can ride in the passenger seat."

 

"Oh, no way, Jose. There's no way I'm riding bitch."

 

"Fine," Riku said airily as he walked past him and out into the bright sunlight of the front stoop. "Then I guess you'll be left behind."

 

Squall Leonhart shrugged at Seifer and gestured with a flicker of his eyes that Sora fall into step with him. Sighing, Sora did so, unable to believe this was actually about to happen. Racing to school. Yeah, because that wasn't completely dangerous in the morning traffic of the city. Not that Riku cared. The rules, as they were, didn't apply to him. Or so he thought.

 

 _I hope he gets a ticket,_ Sora thought somewhat viciously. He wasn't proud of his ire, but Riku was sorely testing the bounds of his patience.

 

Riku walked straight to a yellow and black Lamborghini without slowing. That left the red Ferrari gleaming in the sunlight, and Sora had to fight not to jizz right then and there in his pants. Sure, he didn't have his license, but that didn't mean he didn't know all about sexy cars. Climbing into the interior as Squall unlocked the doors for him was like a wet dream.

 

Sora ran his hand over the hard leather of the dashboard. The windows were tinted well past the legal limit, and the keys in Squall's possession were purely for show. He pressed a button by the steering wheel, and it purred into motion, barely vibrating beneath them as Squall took them down the driveway.

 

The bodyguard shot him an amused look, but said nothing.

 

Sora didn't care. He'd never thought he'd ever get a chance to sit in one of these in his life.

 

"The rules are simple," came Riku's voice from a tiny speaker. Sora jerked at the sound of it, searching for its source. He found it wedged between the two seats in the form of a radio. Squall gestured that he take it, so Sora did, frowning at it.

 

He pressed the button for talking. "Really, Damenson-sempai? A walkie talkie?"

 

The radio chirped as it relayed Sora's message.

 

"Don't get in an accident. Other than that and we're good. Father's on good terms with the police. We'll start once we reach the first traffic light on Madison. Agreed?"

 

Sora looked to Squall. Squall gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

 

"Uhm, yeah…" Sora replied. "All good here." Then, almost as an afterthought, and for Squall's ears only, "Has it occurred to you that a fiery death from a car accident isn't exactly what Damenson-san had in mind for his son when he hired you guys as bodyguards?"

 

Squall just shrugged.

 

_Great…_

 

It took nearly ten minutes to actually _reach_ traffic, and then they were shifting into position, Riku revving his engine and grinning at Sora while Seifer's head was bent over his phone, his fingers furiously moving over the touch screen. Maybe writing his last will and testament? Sora couldn't blame him, and wished he had thought of that, but his phone was safely away in his messenger bag at his feet. Too late to do anything about it now.

 

Seifer Almasy, without looking up from his smart phone, lifted a wrist, then bent it forward, fingers straight out: a clear sign for a checkered flag waving it was time to go.

 

One second, Sora was musing over who might actually win, the next second, he was yelling and clutching at the oh-shit handle of the Ferrari as Squall burnt rubber peeling off from the starting point. Squall was intent on his task, one hand on the wheel, the other arm resting on the windowsill, his eyes narrowed.

 

"Shouldn't _both_ your hands be on the wheel?" Sora asked as he tugged at his seatbelt to make sure it was firmly in place.

 

In answer, Squall swerved down a street not quite as busy, leaving Riku and Seifer on the main pathway. Sora cursed and gripped at his door now, his body sliding across the slick leather of his seat. He was snapped back into place after Squall recovered from a fish tail and went flying forward at close to 100 miles an hour.

 

A young couple shrieked and dove out of the way, and the Ferrari clipped a trash bin outside a business for recycling when Squall took it up a little on the sidewalk to avoid an elderly man trying to cross the street with a cane in hand. They blazed through a stop light amidst the wild honking of horns. Three blocks later, the hired guard flew around another corner, knocking Sora into the window.

 

How they hadn't attracted the police, Sora had no idea. "What, Leonhart-san, no cops, no stop?"

 

"The fuck did you go?" Seifer's voice crackled over the radio.

 

Sora didn't bother to pick it up. Not when he was still holding on for dear life.

 

"Seriously, Cupcake, did you take a fucking shortcut?"

 

Suddenly, they were back on the direct road to their private school. More cars blared on their horns. But for all Squall noticed, it might as well have been mass on Sunday. Sora took a little bit of comfort in that. At least the whole of Squall's attention was on actually making it out of this alive—and winning. Couldn't forget about the winning part of this.

 

Sora's eyes rounded as they reached the school's student parking lot and found a bunch of girls decked out in full pom-pom glory, or with flags, waving them to the finish line. Said finish line was painted on the ground, black and white checkers to match those flags. The girls screamed, jumping up and down, and the few boys gathered clapped their hands.

 

What.

 

The.

 

Hell?

 

Squall pulled up to the curb and unlocked the doors.

 

The second Sora shakily stepped out of the vehicle, he was bombarded by YRP—Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. The last girl of the group was more accurately standing off to the side, arms folded with a bored expression, but Sora always clumped them together. Hell, they'd given their group a _name_ , after all.

 

Sora was just grateful Yuffie wasn't there.

 

"Oh, that was so cool, Shiozu-kun!" Rikku was holding onto his arm and shaking him in her excitement.

 

Yuna giggled in agreement. "We really thought Riku-sempai would win!"

 

"Was it fun?" Paine drawled.

 

"Uh… yeah…" Blushing for reasons he couldn't figure out, Sora rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "I mean, kinda…"

 

" _Kinda_?" Yuffie Kisaragi was on the scene, pompoms brandished in their usual weapon position. "You had the honor of driving in Riku-sempai's Ferrari and all you have to say is _kinda_?! What kind of crap is that?!" She feinted at him with her fists.

 

Tidus and Selphie arrived shortly after, and Sora allowed them to pull him away from the fan club with gratitude. Yuffie scared him. Probably not in the way she wanted, but still.

 

"Awh, Sora, that was so cool!" Selphie gushed.

 

"I'm jelly, bro," Tidus admitted grudgingly. "I've been trying to get a Ferrari forever, but my dad keeps saying it's a no-go."

 

Sora was about to respond when more high-pitched shrieks broke out behind him. The three turned to see a sour-faced Riku stepping out of the Lamborghini, his eyes cutting through the cluster of students until they found Sora. The level of annoyance in his eyes made Sora flinch, but he caught himself before he took a step back and straightened to his full height. It wasn't very considerable, sure, but he _wasn't_ going to back down.

 

The taller boy stomped over to him, and the girls fell back in what reminded Sora of waves rolling away from the shore. Riku stopped a foot away from him, and he swung an arm. Sora had his messenger bag raised as a half-weapon/half-shield before he realized that he wasn't being attacked. No, indeed, that would have been more preferable.

 

Riku had just wrapped his arm around Sora's shoulders, and was now pulling him into his side.

 

"My boyfriend beat me today," Riku announced as his adoring fans quieted at the sound of his raised voice. "But next time, I'll definitely win."

 

And then, right the fuck in front of everyone, he kissed Sora directly on the lips.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lacking bold and italics until I can upload a better version. Do not have my own internet at the moment.

i. The ABCs of a Flowering Relationship

 

Was this really happening right now?

 

Was Riku really kissing him in front of everyone?

 

Sora did the first thing he could think of. His fist swung out, quick and sure, and connected with Riku's jaw.

 

A gasp rose through the gathered throng of students.

 

Riku stumbled back a step, clutching his face. His eyes were rounded with surprise, almost soft in their vulnerability. Their irises were the lightest green Sora had ever seen. His mouth formed a perfect 'o.'

 

YRP got into position, crowding around Riku, their pompoms brandished like colorful weapons. Yuffie was with them, glaring balefully at Sora. Sora shook his fist, because that had hurt, damn it, but he wasn't going to be a wuss in front of the entire school. He cricked his neck, then whirled, stalking off down the walkway to the front stairs that would lead him to his locker.

 

Tidus fell into step with him. "Did I just see what I thought I saw?"

 

Selphie was suddenly at his other side, bouncing up on her tiptoes. "Are you Damenson-sempai's boyfriend, Sora? Really?"

 

Sora growled, whirling midstride to thrust a finger in Riku's direction. "Do I look like that guy's boyfriend?"

 

Riku was still holding his cheek, shell-shocked. Had the boy ever been hit in his life?

 

It took a moment, but finally his upperclassman seemed to shake himself back to normal. His first course of action was to turn to his bodyguards and point accusingly at Sora. Squall was conveniently looking at his cell phone, and Seifer had a smug smirk on his face, as if to say, "He's all yours, Princess."

 

Mouth opening and closing, Riku stood that way for a few more seconds. Then, squaring his shoulders, he closed the small distance between himself and Sora and grabbed Sora up by the wrist. Sora, not having any of it, smoothly sidestepped, wrenching himself free in the process. Without a backwards glance, he took Tidus and Selphie by the elbows and marched onward.

 

Maybe Riku was desperate not to lose face. Maybe this was all some sick, twisted game to him. Either way, Riku was hot on Sora's heels, his aura so angry it was practically crackling with energy behind Sora. Sora didn't give a damn. He was still shaking from the palpable rage at what Riku had just done a scant minute ago.

 

Kissed him! Declared himself Sora's boyfriend!

 

The nerve!

 

"Maybe we should stop," Selphie whispered a little fearfully. "He's the King. We don't want to mess with him!"

 

"Yeah, and I wanna know about that kiss," Tidus half-whined.

 

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Sora frowned.

 

"They know what's best for them." If Riku's tone was a shade murderous, Sora pretended not to hear it. "Slow the fuck down, Sora. We need to talk."

 

"There's nothing to talk about!" A sing-song voice, that was the name of the game. Sora flashed Riku a megawatt grin over his shoulder. "I don't want to be late for class. I'll catch ya later. By the way…" He tapped beneath his left eye. "Might want to put some ice on that."

 

Riku lunged. Sora ducked, breaking into a jog. Within moments, he managed to disappear, mostly because Riku's fan club had caught up to him and was demanding all sorts of questions. Since when was the great Riku Damenson taken? And what had that kiss been about? Was Riku gay? If so, that was so hot, but wasn't it his responsibility to tell his loyal followers?

 

Gag me with a spoon, Sora thought.

 

"Ahhh! Sora, slow dooown!" Selphie gripped his arm, her other hand holding onto her side where a cramp had formed. "Oh, my gosh! You run so fast!"

 

"What is it?" Sora slowed to a more sedate pace. He kept sending furtive glances over his shoulder. While the coast was clear for now, he didn't want to risk Riku catching up with him before he had time to divest his locker of his first period's books.

 

"What was that about?" The brunette was practically bubbling over with excitement. She put her fists near her chin, and her eyes were huge and sparkling. "Tell me all the details! I want to know everything! What did his lips feel like? Was his breath as minty fresh as you could hope? Howlonghaveyoubeenacouple?"

 

"Selph, breathe," Tidus asserted from Sora's other side. Then he clapped a hand over Sora's shoulder and drew him close to his person. "I'm as curious as she is about the bromance, but tell me about that ride! Did she purr enough to give you a stiffie?"

 

"Dude!" Sora swung free of them both. His neck felt hot, and he tugged at the starched collar of his uniform. "I thought I could have at least depended on you guys not to hound me about Damenson-sempai, but I guess I was wrong!" Giving his two friends his best "I'm-disappointed-in-you" look, Sora readjusted his messenger bag on his shoulder and finished the rest of his trek to class without them.

 

"Come on, Sora!" Selphie called after him. "Just one tiny detail? Just ooooooone?"

 

Fuck my life, Sora reiterated to himself.

 

ii. Attempt Number…

 

The day went from bad to worse in about two seconds flat.

 

No sooner had Sora made it into his classroom, than Lea had appeared, grinning from ear to ear as he caught sight of Sora. Lea's spiky hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and the skin on his cheekbones looked red and sensitive from new tattoos.

 

"Really? Teardrops?" Sora propped open his textbook and tried not to notice all the stares aimed at him.

 

"Yup." Though not a part of this class, Lea sat himself in the desk beside Sora's. "But that's not really why I'm here."

 

"No, no, and no."

 

"Aw, come on, Sora," the redheaded boy coaxed. "Now that you're Riku Damenson's boooyfriend, we want to recruit you even more. You'll have an in with the Damensons. We could use that."

 

"No."

 

Lea hung his head. "Is there anything I can do to convince you to join us?"

 

Sora was about to give the usual response and then paused. He pursed his lips to one side. "Well… there may be something…"

 

"If it involves fending off the entire school so you don't have to be Damenson's boy-toy, then no." Lea waved a hand. "We don't involve ourselves in the minor politics here, and besides… we need that connection."

 

Figures. "Then nope." Sora grinned. "There's nothing."

 

"Mr. Goodwin!" Terra Thorpe boomed from the front of the class. He hadn't even finished getting to the blackboard yet, his briefcase tucked under one arm and his tie partly undone over his suit. "How many times do I need to tell you to stop harassing my class?" Amber eyes narrowed in a glare frightful enough to scare off anyone with a shred of sanity.

 

Lea placed one hand over his heart. "Aw, but I'm not harassing the class, Professor Thorpe. Just Sora-kun here."

 

"Shiozu," Sora stressed.

 

Professor Thorpe only jerked his thumb toward the door.

 

"Aw, fine." Lea leapt to his feet and exited the room, but not without one last rustle to Sora's hair.

 

A kid named Pence Haron leaned over his desk from Sora's other side. "Oh, my God," he said in a whisper loud enough that it barely met the terms of being one. "The Organization is recruiting you?!"

 

Hayner Smith and Olette Charming poked their heads up across the room, no doubt trying to see who the last member of their trio was talking to. Sora gave them a feeble wave, then returned his attention to Pence.

 

"Yeah, but… I'm not going to join, so… it's really not a big deal…" Please, please don't make this a big deal, Sora prayed inwardly.

 

Pence said nothing. His eyes rounded, and his mouth fell open a little, and he leaned back in his seat, the wood creaking beneath his weight. But he said nothing.

 

iii. I'm Your Biggest Fan

 

Things were blissfully peaceful until lunch. At that point, all hell brook loose. It seemed like someone had decided that Sora's life wasn't in shambles enough. No, it needed to be destroyed just a little bit more. And why not? After all, nothing at this point was going to surprise Sora. So, he thought, they might as well keep it coming.

 

The yearbook club was waiting for him.

 

In a normal school, in a normal town, in a normal world where the elite didn't congregate to act like a bunch of over-the-top, self-centered, snobby idiots, the yearbook club wasn't that much of a threat. You got your photo taken, maybe, if you were popular enough, or at least noteworthy. And if you were a senior, and could afford it, you got your own page in the book, dedicated to your four years of high school.

 

But Paopu High was so far from normal, it was a wonder Sora had retained any shred of what normality was even like anymore.

 

As he walked into the cafeteria, the paparazzi were waiting for him.

 

It consisted of YRP, Yuffie, the Organization, and some other folk Sora had difficulty naming off the top of his head. Sora intended to walk directly past them without a backwards glance, but no, that would be too simple.

 

Lea gripped him by his shoulder and dragged him into the glare of cameras flashing at him. "So, Shiozu-san, any official statement regarding your relationship with Damenson-san?" He had a video recorder over his shoulder, and his eye was pressed against the eyepiece, his lips curled with obvious amusement.

 

Sora stared flatly into the lens. "Go away."

 

"Shiozu-san, Shiozu-san!" The crowd pressed closer, shoving mics and cell phones substituting for mics in his face. Sora turned to try and leave, but each possible exit was blocked by these morons.

 

"Shiozu-san, is it true that Damenson-san kissed you before the entire school?"

 

Ah, Sora thought. It had happened so quickly, no one had a chance to snap a picture. As the expression went, pics or it didn't happen. He felt a thrill of satisfaction at that.

 

"Shizou-san, are you and Damenson-sempai an item now?" Rikku was bouncing wildly form foot to foot, like some mad new dance she was introducing. Thankfully, she wasn't handling any recording device, or all the pictures would have been blurred.

 

"Don't you guys think this is a bit ridiculous?" Sora muttered.

 

Lea stuck the video recorder back in his face. "Shiozu-san, are the rumors true, that you popped Damenson-san's—" he paused here to grin, "—ass cherry?"

 

Okay, enough was enough.

 

Sora shoved his hand against Lea's viewfinder. "No statements at this time," he said as he used Lea's painful protesting to dodge by him and escape to one of the tables not filled with a bunch of babbling buffoons.

 

Good grief.

 

"We'll get this interview one way or another!" Yuffie threatened, and Sora could hear the shake of her pompoms.

 

On second thought…

 

Sora exited the cafeteria entirely and made his way to one of the bathrooms that would have been better suited in a five-star hotel than any high school. The urinals and stalls were blessedly empty, so he stepped into one of the latter, locked the door behind him, and made himself comfortable on the toilet seat. From there, he took out the paperback he was reading and his sack lunch, and he dined in solitude.

 

iv. Wannabe Ninja On the Prowl

 

There's never a real moment of peace anymore. Sora sighed and dropped his face into his hands. How was he supposed to get any studying done with those types of distractions?

 

His current hideout was in the library, in one of the rooms reserved for studying. Not that he thought he was going to be safe for very long. Eventually, Riku or one of the members of his fanclub was going to find him. At that point, it'd all be over.

 

So I better crack a book while I can.

 

This proved to be a fruitless endeavor, however. His thoughts continued to circle back to earlier that morning, when Riku's lips had touched his in front of all of Paopu High. Not that he knew why it mattered. He didn't think for a second that Riku actually wanted to be his "boyfriend." That guy was just a spoiled brat who liked to show off and find new ways, for whatever reason, to get under Sora's skin.

 

It just didn't make any sense, Sora reflected. Was Riku so desperate for the limelight that he'd jeopardize the reputation of his sexuality? Then again, he had attempted to kiss Sora the day before in the limousine, and no one had been around then…

 

Well, whatever. It wasn't any of Sora's business which way Riku's interests swung, so long as he kept Sora firmly out of it. That undoubtedly meant that Sora was going to have to have a talk with Riku about boundaries. That hadn't gone spectacularly well so far either, but Sora had to do something. Was he a man, or wasn't he?!

 

Movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he ducked down just in time to see Yuffie Kisaragi come hurtling forward from around a bookcase. Her eyes narrowed with deep suspicion, and she put her fists on her hips and kicked at the floor.

 

The hell does she want? Sora thought, bewildered. He watched as she proceeded to scope out the general vicinity, her eyes roaming over the partially filled study rooms to either side of Sora's that lined the whole of the wall. Sora made sure to inch even further out of sight, going so far as to crawl to just beneath the window and put his back against the wall there. He drew his legs up to his chest so no inch of him could be spotted. Without a way to view the overly energetic cheerleader, he felt vulnerable.

 

Why am I hiding like this?

 

Well, avoiding confrontation did seem smart, especially since she was probably looking for him. But when to check if the coast was clear? Too early, and she'd be on him like a bloodhound with a scent.

 

His pocket started buzzing. It was loud in the quiet of the library, and panicking, Sora pressed his hand to his cell phone, muffling it as best he could as he thumbed for his call ignore button. He found it and had a moment of sweet relief before it started up again.

 

"Damn it," he mouthed.

 

He chanced a peek at its screen, wondering if it was someone with an emergency, like his mother or brother. The number was unfamiliar as it flashed at him, and the area code was local. The mental list Sora needed to scan to think of whom it could possibly be fell short. The fact of the matter was that Sora had few friends, and anyone who could possibly need to get a hold of him was already programmed into his virtual address book.

 

Riku. He didn't even pause to contemplate who had given the sullen boy-king his contact information. Nothing seemed to be sacred in this school, least of all some privacy.

 

A knock on the window jolted him, but he didn't move out from his hideaway. The door opened a second later, and he felt stupid as Yuna poked her head in with a tentative smile and wave.

 

"Hiding out?" she questioned.

 

He shot a frantic look up to the window, where Yuffie was no doubt hanging out nearby. Seeing this, Yuna put her hand to her mouth to stifle the beginnings of a giggle.

 

"What?" Sora puffed defensively.

 

"Yuffie left," she explained. "She didn't see you hiding, but I did." An unusually sly smile on her lips, Yuna crouched before him, careful not to flash him a view of her spankies as her pleated cheerleader skirt rode up her thighs.

 

"And do I want to know why the Ignition Squad is looking for me?" Sora asked, referring to their team's name. Paine didn't seem to be involved in this, so he couldn't very well call them YuRiPa. "And why it's taking a group effort?"

 

"Wellll," Yuna lightly sang, "Damenson-sempai put out the word that we're supposed to find you, on the double!" She rested her elbow on her knee and her chin in her upturned palm, her mismatched eyes glimmering at him.

 

She really was quite pretty.

 

"It's study hour," Sora stated in as monotone a voice as he could muster.

 

Yuna placed the pad of her index finger against forehead and applied pressure."It doesn't look like you're studying right now, Shiozu-kun."

 

Because I was hiding from everyone! was on the tip of his tongue to exclaim, but there was something about Yuna's gentle smile that made him flush a deep, vibrant red. Pursing his lips, he looked away with a one-shoulder shrug.

 

"Any idea how he got my phone number?" Sora grumbled. Suddenly, he was curious, and was prepared to throttle whoever had given it up.

 

"Selphie Tilmitt." Her reply was instant, as if it had never occurred to her that such information might be sensitive. It was lending further credit to Sora's belief that privacy here was indeed a thing of legend.

 

Great. Thanks a lot, Selph. Sighing, Sora thunked his head back against the wall. "Look… I already have to live with Damenson-sempai for a little while… So I'd like to be able to at least have a little time to myself. You know, for studying?" So I don't flunk out of this school, he added silently. Although, the more he thought about it, that wasn't such a terrible idea…

 

No! No. This was only one of many hurdles in his education. He had to look at it that way. He couldn't throw everything that his mother and he had worked so hard on out the window simply because one of the snobby rich kids had taken an unwanted interest in him.

 

Sora looked up at Yuna with renewed determination. "Tell Damenson-senpai that you couldn't find me."

 

His companion blinked. "But—"

 

Sora got to his feet. "You wanted to be friends, right?" He held out his hand to her and pulled her to her feet a scant moment later.

 

"Right…" Yuna nodded slowly. "But…"

 

"No buts!" Sora smiled brightly at her. "Friends help each other out."

 

v. Hurdles

 

This is ridiculous…

 

Clutching what books wouldn't fit in his messenger bag to his chest, Sora checked both directions of the hallway. The paparazzi were at the end to the far left of the corridor, so carefully—so carefully Sora thought he ought to get a reward for it—he tiptoed out to the right.

 

Come pick me up outside the A Building, Sora texted Riku. He'd already added the number in his phone under the alias of King Dipshit. Just the thought of it was making him grin. Mature? No, of course not. Yet Sora had to take his kicks where he could get them.

 

"There he is! Don't let him get away!" a sudden shout rang out across the hall. Sora tensed and didn't even look to see who the speaker was before he bolted at top speed down the hallway. These people—and more specifically, these fans of Riku's—were certifiably insane. Of that, Sora had no doubt.

 

He had never feared so much for his sanity as he had in the last forty-eight hours. Even his entrance exams hadn't been this trying, and Sora had studied for months beforehand.

 

"Shiozuuuuu!" came a scream recognizable as Kisaragi's. "I won't let you get away this time! Hiiiiiyaaaaaah—!"

 

"Oof—"

 

The wind was knocked out of his lungs as a petite force otherwise known as Yuffie collided into his back. The next thing Sora knew, he was groaning from his new position on the floor, his nose smarting from where it had smashed into the linoleum. Yuffie sat atop his back, cheering with a disturbing amount of blood thirst as she jabbed repeatedly at his sides with her pompoms.

 

"Mwahaha! Take that, Shiozu-san! No one can escape the Great Ninja Yuffie! Nyak, nyak, nyak, nyak!"

 

Sora moaned his pain in answer. His upper lip felt wet. Was it bleeding? Lovely.

 

"Kisaragi-san, get off," he mumbled.

 

"No! Not until you finally admit that I am the Great Ninja Yuffie!" she said with flourish.

 

Oh, for crying out loud…

 

"You are the Great Ninja Yuffie." He sounded nasally, and the taste of copper was in his mouth. With the way Yuffie had him pinned, though, there was no way to do anything about it. However, if she didn't remove herself from his person after that ill-earned concession from him, he would not be adverse to dumping her on the floor.

 

Shiny penny loafers crossed his line of sight. Sora closed his eyes in a long blink, already knowing who they belonged to. Taking a deep breath for inner strength, he looked up, right at Riku's already smirking face.

 

The other boy knelt before him, an elbow hooked casually around his knee. "Well, hello, So-ra," he said, drawing out the two syllables. "I've been looking for you." His right eye was looking gruesome, swollen and puffy, the skin around it a vivid purple. "Are you enjoying the attention of my minions?"

 

Sora could hear the clicks and flashes of camera phones behind him. A few students weren't doing much to hide their amusement, chortling and clapping both. He could even detect the not-so-subtle exchange of cash. But what had they been betting on?

 

Yuffie gave him a good poke right between his shoulder blades with her pompoms. "I found him for you, Damenson-senpai!"

 

"I see that." Smirk growing decidedly cruel at the corners, Riku touched Sora's nose. It instantly throbbed with pain, and Sora jerked his face away, stifling a yell. He wouldn't give Riku the satisfaction. "I suppose this could be enough revenge for that punch of yours this morning."

 

Brave to a reckless fault, Sora stuck his tongue out. "So maybe you should think twice before kissing me again, you pretentious asshole."

 

The vein beneath Riku's good eye twitched. "Brave words… Sora."

 

"Whatever you plan on doing to me, can we just get it over with already?" Sora's lips stretched into a broad, mocking grin, displaying what he was sure were bloodstained teeth. He'd texted Riku under the assumption that the older boy had only been hunting for him just to force his attention on Sora. But he should have realized Riku wanted vengeance for that morning's festivities. Of course, he wouldn't see that he had been in the wrong. Of course.

 

If Sora had expected Riku to rethink whatever his grand Master Plan was, he was sorely disappointed. It was by now a familiar feeling, albeit a somehow wistful one. Would Riku ever rise to Sora's expectations and display the temperament of the high road?

 

Riku grinned and patted him on the head. "Let's have some fun," he announced loudly enough for his voice to carry, and the students broke into raucous cheers. A chant of, "Hail King Damenson, hail King Damenson!" was taken up by a varsity jock—Sora couldn't see the owner of the voice—and followed steadfastly by everyone else. This included Yuffie, who shook her pompoms in tandem with the pandemonium.

 

The mocking callousness in those green irises should have frightened Sora. Instead, a grim determination took root inside of him, and he fastened a carefully blank look at his upperclassman.

 

Riku lifted an arm into the air. "To the cistern!"

 

Dread finally unfolded within Sora, swallowing him whole like the waves of chaos, and he knew Riku was aware the very instant it happened.

 

"We're going to have a lot of fun, Sora," he whispered.

 

Crap.

 

vi. Now, let's not be hasty, Riku…!

 

The cistern was over two hundred years old and a well-known tourist attraction on certain days of the year for Paopu High. In Sora's opinion, the only things that made it particularly interesting were the murals that decorated its somewhat domed ceiling. It was deep underground, with pillars rising out of the water, each marble and stained from the waterline down. Electricity had been added half a century ago, and the light reflected off the still pool of water in a way that made it seem like only a slightly damp walkway.

 

An actual walkway was what they stood on now, overlooking the creepily tranquil scenery as two of Riku's more beefy henchmen manhandled him between them. They dragged him forward, and Sora, sensing what was coming, began to struggle all the harder. This was going to be the ultimate head-meets-toilet dunk, he just knew it.

 

His fears were confirmed when Riku snapped his fingers, and the boys whipped Sora onto his back on the edge of the marble path, his head dangling over it so that the tips of his hair grew wet. Riku fell to one knee again, leaning forward over Sora. There was a malicious gleam in his eyes that amped Sora's fears even higher.

 

It was this that made Sora steel himself, his lips thinning to a determined line. He lifted his chin, as if to say, "Do your worst."

 

Riku's eyes widened the slightest bit at the challenge. It wasn't often, Sora knew, that someone did so. Riku had become very accustomed to the world bowing down to his every want. And Sora was going to prove once again that he wasn't about to willingly cow to Riku.

 

Anger lit the depth of Riku's eyes, made them turn an even paler shade of green. He jerked his head in the direction of Henchman Number One, a kid whose uniform was straining over his thick chest and stomach. He was heavy but brawny at the same time, muscles beneath the layers of fat.

 

"Do it," Riku commanded.

 

No sooner had he said the words than Sora was dunked underwater.

 

He had just enough time to hold his breath, a great lungful of air. Instinctively, his body wanted to flail, but he forced himself to still. What Riku didn't know was that Sora had done junior league blitzball, a sport that required one to hold their breath for a period of five minutes at a time while also swimming vigorously and tackling the opposing team members.

 

Riku was shouting something, his words muffled by the water. Sora could only make out the faintest glow of the overhead lights, the cistern too shadowed for it to penetrate past the surface. It was gloomy and torture on his senses. He was afraid he was going to run out of air. Blitzball had been a year ago. He hadn't practiced since, too bogged down with studying and multiple jobs.

 

Hands fisted in his soaked uniform shirt, and he was dragged up to the surface. Before he had a chance to grab another breath, he was forced back under. This continued in rapid succession, and despite his attempts to capture air, soon he was sputtering, choking on the school's water supply.

 

Real panic settled in, then. Just as he began to wonder if Riku really was planning on drowning him, he was made to resurface again.

 

"Say it," Riku demanded as Sora's ears cleared and he blinked a layer of water off his lashes. "Admit that you're my boyfriend."

 

"W-What?" Sora rasped. That was what this was about? Not just humiliation, but getting Sora to agree that they were a couple?

 

"Admit it," Riku repeated solemnly.

 

Sora wasn't too fond of the way his upperclassmen's eyes were glimmering with more silent threats to dunk him under. "You're a real piece of work," he managed.

 

Now the other boy looked outright murderous. His long, slender fingers, spidery and bone white, pulled at the knot of his tie. He balled it up and tossed it aside, then began to shrug out of his blazer. After he made short work of it, it fell to crumple atop his tie. Though it wasn't the time or place, Sora wildly thought about how pissed Aqua was going to be when she saw how badly wrinkled it was. But as Sora knew well enough by now, that wasn't the sort of thing King Riku gave two shits about.

 

"What the hell is your problem, Riku?!" Sora couldn't help it. He was beginning to panic. He didn't understand why Riku couldn't just accept no for an answer, and he was afraid that Riku wouldn't stop until Sora's life was in danger. Dramatic? Maybe. But he had a feeling he couldn't shake that Riku had never been told no in his life, and he wasn't handling it really well.

 

"It's not me with the problem, Shiozu," Riku hissed. He stepped forward, his hand reaching for Sora's shirt, and Sora's heart started pounding even harder, if that was possible. His blood rushed in his ears, drowning out sound. All he could see was Riku, getting ready to try and drown him himself.

 

Sora drew his knees to his chest. Riku's minions had his arms, but they didn't have his legs. He wouldn't go into the cistern water this time without making Riku feel some real pain for it.

 

It happened quickly after that.

 

Riku sank his fingers into Sora's shirt—Sora kicked out, his feet colliding with Riku's chest, one of his heels managing to find Riku's sternum—the minions yelled something for their king and tried to both hold Sora's wriggling arms down and go to help Riku at the same time.

 

"Fuck!" Riku groaned. "Put him under again!" He sank to the floor, clutching at his sternum, his eyes squeezed shut with pain.

 

Sora threw all of his strength into getting free of the henchmen, but they were just too strong.

 

"Hey! Put him down now, assholes!" a familiar voice rang throughout the cistern. It bounced off the ceiling, around the marble pillars, over the water, and amplified tenfold. Since no one was able to miss it, everyone lifted their heads to the source.

 

Seifer was glowering at the entryway, Squall just behind him.

 

"Cupcake," Sora breathed. Intense relief flooded him. While Seifer was clearly a bully, Squall wouldn't let anything else happen, even if it had been the former that had stopped the shenanigans. He just inherently did not trust Seifer. The guy was a tool.

 

Said blond stomped forward, gripping Riku by the back of his neck and shaking him. "The fuck is the matter with you, Damenson? Get to your feet. You gonna be outdone by a little shit like this kid?" He jerked a thumb in Sora's direction.

 

Squall gave Seifer a dark look, then stared pointedly at the brawn holding Sora in place. They hesitated just a moment, looking to their king for direction, which Sora thought was stupidly brave of them. Riku wouldn't even glance their way, so when Squall stared them down with those cold eyes of his, they got up, releasing Sora's bruised arms.

 

Sora exhaled and shakily sat up, rubbing circulation into his biceps. There was no way he was going to go home with Riku. He didn't care if that meant another journey to the cistern perhaps the next day, or some other torment Riku would inflict upon him. The guy was a straight up brat.

 

That was when Sora caught sight of the redhead hovering behind Seifer, her fists to her mouth. Her eyes were a deep, piercing violet. Her hair fell to her shoulders in careless curls, and a dress that was very out of place, something that was meant for the red carpet perhaps, hugged what curves she had down to her ankles, where it flared out a little. It had thin straps across her shoulders and down her back, where fabric was a thin line and then plummeted to the base of her spine, leaving a smooth expanse of skin.

 

"Riku," she said. "You missed our modeling session. I… I couldn't get a hold of you, so I contacted your bodyguards." She pulled her fists away to chew on her lower lip.

 

"Don't do that…" Riku reached up, cupping her chin and brushing his thumb along her lips, smoothing them out. "You know your face has to be perfect for the agency." With a deep sigh, he got to his feet at last, his other hand dropping from his sternum. "Come on, Kai, you're gonna get a cold here. Let's go."

 

Sora blinked.

 

"Squall, take him back to the mansion. Seifer, you can follow me and Kairi."

 

Kairi and me, Sora corrected silently. Then he sighed, accepting Squall's now held out hand, and pulled himself to his feet. Squall's arm only wavered a little from the weight. Impressive, considering his slight form.

 

"I don't want to go back to Riku's," he said once everyone had cleared out of the cistern. He took off his jacket and hung it over his arm. "Can you take me home instead?"

 

It was Squall's turn to blink. "You haven't heard?" he asked flatly.

 

"No…?" But a sliver of fear found its way to Sora's heart.

 

Squall sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Aqua got a hold of your mom and Riku's dad. They both agreed that Riku needs a change of pace. He's slipping in his grades. You're going to be tutoring him."

 

Sora's mouth hung open. "Whaaaat? How is that even—Riku's dad doesn't even know me!"

 

"He knows how well you do at this school. Now come on. I've got to take you back."

 

The only bright side to this was that Sora wouldn't have to worry about getting the shit beat out of him for bailing on Riku's master plans. No, he thought sourly, he would just have to be there against his will in another way—parents were involved.

 

God, this sucked balls.

 


End file.
